Process of finishing metal sheets or plates.



A. RIDD. PROCESS OF FINISHING METAL SHEETS 0R PLATES.

APPLICATION FILED 1330.22, 1913.

Patented Mar. 30, 1915.

Inventor Attorneys Witnesses lid srnrns orat on 313913, @E EBAGZKENEEDGE, EPENNSLLVAN'EA.

a e of millet/m I l eatented Mara 2%), 1293115,.

Application filed heeeznner as, rats. was llo. ceases.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it brown that l', Anenosn Bron, a citi- Zen of the United States, residing at Brackenridge, in the county of Allegheny and State of v Pennsylvania, have invented a Process of Finishing Metal Sheets or Plates, of which the following is a specification,

The present invention. relates to an improved process of finishing metal sheets or plates, whereby an even oxidization or hluing is given the surfaces thereof.

Heretoiore many processes have heen' devised to accomplish the even oxidization or hluing ot the metal sheets or plates, the hetter ones of which consist in placing the sheets or plates in an annealing hon and subjecting them to an annealing degree of heat Without contact with the atmospheric air, the top or cover of the annealing hon removed the sheets or plates heing then removed, some heing rolled in the preso't ,atmosnherie air and others heing exposed for oxidization and then raihjected to heat shove the degree to which they have fallen. Both of these processes have their faults, that the edges of the plates are too greatly discolored, While the lowermost plates often have to he again placed through the process.

lncarrying out the present nrocess, the metal sheets or plates are place in an annealing hos, and there suhjected to an annealing degree of heat Without contact with the air, and when they are at a lower tem erature, or at a cherry red heat, the cover out the annealing box is removed and the sheets or plates are placed in a heated box and sealed, and then suhjected to a heat that maintains them at the cherry red heat, and out of contact with the atmospheric air. After a period of such subjection, the sheets or plates are removed singly or in packs, from the latter hex Without removing its cover and during such removal, are exposed to the atmosnheric air. By doing this, each sheet has the same exposure and an even onidization or coloring is given each and every sheet.

lln carrying out the present invention, one form of apparatus is here illustrated and set forth in the accompanying drawings, in

Figure It is a view in section oi" an annealing oven which contains the sheets to he wceptacle "Where the annealed sheets are stored prior to the exposing of the same to the atmosphere.

Referring to the dravvings'in which similar reference numerals designate corres ending parts throughout the several news, the annealin oven includes the car 3 and the cover 4i, the latter being provided with suitable lugs or equivalents 5 so that the cover ma he readily removed from the car or plac thereupon. lhe car 8 with the cover it constitutes an annealing oven which may he rolled into or out of an annealing furnace so that the contents of the oven will he heated to a high temperature and allowed to cool out of contact with the atmosphere, "which is secured by the placing sand or other material '8 around the junctnre hetvveen the cover and car.

A table Z is positioned upon the car 3 and upon which are stacked the sheets 8 which are to he annealed and hlued. The car with the cover placedthereon and sealed thereto and with the sheets 8 arranged upon the table 7 is placed Within the oven, the oven is rolled into the annealing furnace (not shown) and is heated to the roper temperature, after which it is move" and allowed to cool to a temperature suitahle tor the en;- posing of the annealed sheets to the atmosphere so that a proper blue color and oxidation will he formed thereon.

it has heen found in practice thatit after the annealing oven has dropped to the desired temperature the cover t he removed and the sheets removed one at a time to thus or use the same to the atmosphere for the oxidation and hluing thereof, that the lovv errnost sheets Wlll gradually cool Will oxidize around their exposed so a uniform hluing and oxidation oi: the sheets toward the loottom of the pile cannot ohtained and which requires thata large numher of the sheets he returned to the annealinginrnace.

in order to overcome these ohjections, i provide a heat retaining receptacle which includes a suitable foundation or hody portion 9 through which extend the tines 10. The inundation or hody portion t? is formed fire hrichs upon the top of which is placed the plate it with the upturned rim 1% extending therearonnd. The front of the plate is provided sail or lads l lountsd u oon or top it the cover 14 which, similar to the cover4 is )rovided with lugs or other means 15 wherey said cover may be engaged in order that it may be removed from or placed upon the plate 11. The cover is provided with the sliding door 16 in its front portion and which is guided in its movement b the side walls of the cover (not shown) an the door is limited to a lowermost position as illustrated in Fig. 2, by suitable stops arranged upon the sides of the door (not shown) so that as the cover is removed, the door 16 will not become detached therefrom. .In this connection it is mentioned that the door is provided withthe eye 17 to which is secured a suitable cable 18 whereby the door may be raised and lowered although it will be understood that other means may be used for the manipulation and control of the door. The rear end of the cover is also provided with the door 19 which slides over and is adapted to close the opening 20. A conveyer 21 of the usual type terminates adjacent the rear door opening 20 and provides a conveyerfor the sheets as they are passed through the opening 20. Thus it will be apparent that the sheets may be removed through the door 16 located at the front of the sheet retaining receptacle or may be passed through the rear opening 20 and onto the conve er 21.

The ta le 7 with the sheets 8 disposed thereon and while in a heated condition are removed from the annealing oven and placed within the heat retaining receptacle, it being noted that, the covers of the oven and receptacle are previously removed. The table 7 with its sheets 8 while in a heated condition are thus laced within a heat retaining receptacle as illustrated in F ig. 2. The heat retaining receptacle has been previously heated by the introducing and burning of suitable gases through the flues 10 and the heat retaining receptacle will thus be retained at the desired temperature and which will normall be at about a cherry red heat. After the table 7 and the annealed sheets 8 have been introduced within the heat retaining receptacle, a suitable non-oxidizing gas is introduced into the same through the lines 10 so that the sheets will be maintained at the desired temperature and out of contact with the air. The non-oxidizing gas may be previously heated so as to maintain the proper temperature within the heat retaining receptacle. The temperature of the heat retaining receptacle may be adjusted by introducing heated and burnt gases through the fines 10 as it is thought will be readily appreciatetd. The door 16 is then raised and the sheets removed from the receptacle or they may be passed out of the rear opening 20 onto the conveyer 21 and delivered to some required and distant point, with the result that the sheets will be exposed to the what I claim is 1. The process herein described of preparing metal sheets or plates, which consists in subjecting said sheets or plates to an annealing heat, reducing said vheat, checking the reduction at an intermediate de ree, maintaining the heat at said interm iate degree in a non-oxidizing atmosphere, subjecting the plates to a heated non-oxidizing fluid while maintained at such intermediate degree, and finally exposing the sheets or plates uniformly throughout their surfaces to an oxidizing agent.

2. The process herein described in metal sheets or plates, which consists in su jecting said sheets or plates to an annealing heat, reducing said heat, checking the reduction at an intermediate de rec, maintaining the heat at said intermediate degree in a non-oxidizing atmosphere, subectmg the plates to a heated non-oxidizing fluid while maintained at such intermediate degree, and finally exposing the sheets or plates uniformly to the surrounding atmosphere for oxidizing.

3. The process herein described ofpreparng metal sheets or plates, which consists in sub ecting said sheets or plates to an annealing degree of heat and out of contact with the atmospheric air, subjecting said sheets or fplates to a lower degree of heat and out 0 contact with the atmospheric air and simultaneously to a heated non-oxidizing fluid, and finally subjecting said sheets or plates to the atmospheric air to produce an even oxidization of the surfaces.

4. The process herein described of preparmg metal sheets or plates, which consists in placing the sheets or plates in an annealing box and subjecting them to an annealing degree of heat without contact with the atmos pheric air, removing the sheets or plates in bulk and placing them in a heat retainin receptacle which has been previously heate at a lower degree than for annealing, said second receptacle maintaining the sheets or plates out of contact with the atmospheric air, removing the sheets or plates from the last receptace and exposing them to the atmospheric air for oxidization.

5. The process herein described of preparingmetal sheets or plates, which consists in en ectmg the sheets or plates contained within an annealing box to an annealing furnace, withdrawing the box and sheets when red hot, removing the sheem or plates of preparand placing them in a previously heated second box, said second box having been heated to approximately the heat of the plates when removed from the annealing furnace, the sheets or plates being retained therein and out of contact withthe atmospheric air, introducing a heated non-oxidizing fluid and removing the sheets or plates and exposing them to the air to oxidize them. i

6. The process herein described of preparing metal sheets or plates which consists in subjecting the sheets or plates contained within an annealing box to an annealing furnace, withdrawing the box and sheets when red hot, removing the sheets or plates and placing them in a previously heated second box, said second boxhavlng been heated to approximately the heat of the plates when removed from the annealing furnace, the sheets or plates being1 retained therein and out of contact with t e atmospheric air, and removing the sheets or plates and exposing the same to atmospheric air.

7. The process herein describedof preparing metal sheets or plates, which consists in subjecting the sheets or metal plates while contained in an annealing box to an annealing furnace, withdrawing the same when heated red hot, removing the sheets or plates and placing them within a previously heated second box, sealing the second box, and

AMBROSE RIDD.

Witnesses:

OMAR C. CRAIG, LYDA M. WATSON. 

